The Montreal, Maine &
Atlantic Railway said that it is taking steps to sell or abandon its tracks
between Millinocket and Madawaska, Maine, because they are no longer profitable
to maintain, according to the Bangor Daily News. The company is asking the
state to consider buying the tracks and maintaining them. If that were to
happen, the Maine Department of Transportation and the railway could work out a
deal so the company's trains would use the rail lines without an interruption
in service.

Southwest Washington's
three-member congressional delegation gathered at the Port of Vancouver to
celebrate the opening of a new marine terminal on the former Alcoa-Evergreen
aluminum site, The Columbian reported. Alcoa this spring finished environmental
cleanup of the 218-acre site, making way for the port to complete its purchase
of the two properties in March for a total of $48.25 million. The port is now
ready to develop the site, zoned for heavy industrial use.

The Port Authority Board of
Commissioners authorized a major contract to permanently brace the box that
encloses the MTA's No. 1 subway line. It will form the foundation of the future
extension of Greenwich Street, which will bisect the World Trade Center site.
The contract will ensure public access to the 9/11 Memorial Plaza on the 10th
anniversary of 9/11, and represents one of the Port Authority's critical
third-quarter milestones.

Concrete ties on the Old
Colony commuter rail lines are wearing out far faster than they're supposed to,
a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority acknowledged
according to the West Bridgewater Times. The lines -- Middleboro/Lakeville and
Kingston/Plymouth -- have been found to have 4,000 ties that need to be
replaced, said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo.

Construction in downtown
Minneapolis continues as crews work on the Hiawatha Light Rail Transit station
and the Northstar Commuter Rail station. Punchlist work continues at the
commuter stations in Big Lake, Elk River, Anoka and Coon Rapids.

Chicago Transit Authority
officials August 14 dedicated the new Wellington station on the Brown Line. The
station reopened to customers July 30 after a 16-month temporary closure for
construction as part of the line's capacity expansion project.

Directors of Genesee and
Wyoming Inc., parent company of Huron Central Railway, have agreed to a
tentative deal that will keep the local railroad operating until August 14,
2010, SooToday.com reports. Sault Ste. Marie Mayor John Rowswell tells
SooToday.com that he has received confirmation of the ratification.

TriMet and the city of
Portland, Ore., are using $1.6 million of federal stimulus funds to repair
bricks in 20 intersections on Morrison and Yamhill streets in downtown
Portland. As the backbone of Portland's light rail system, the Morrison and
Yamhill corridors have experienced significant wear and tear and have not had
major repairs in the 25 years since the tracks went in.

The Société de transport
de Montréal informed clients that, after 11 weeks of renovations aimed at
extending the service life of its systems and installations, Charlevoix métro
station once again opened its doors on August 17, as planned.

CSR Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock, China, has confirmed that it intends to bid for a contract to supply 40-120 emu vehicles for British operator London Midland. According to a notice issued in the Official Journal of the European Union last month, London Midland requires a fleet of 160km/h commuter emus formed into three or four-car trains, or a combination of both.